Fifty Moments Between Rain and Instrumentality
by BrokenChosenofEva
Summary: Fifty words, fifty memories. Fifty moments between Asuka and Touji. Instrumentality showed every possible world, all real, each as valid and solid as the next.
1. Rain through Hell

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Between Rain And Instrumentality**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Rain through Hell  
Prompt: set 10 / prompts 001-010  
Word Count: 700+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty words, fifty memories. Fifty moments between Asuka and Touji. Instrumentality showed every possible world, all real, each as valid and solid as the next.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: I decided that I just had to do a Fifty Sentence Challenge, hope you all enjoy! Fear not, I will still be working on NWYBF, IN:R, and Collision.

Part 1 of 5 for "Fifty Moments between Rain and Instrumentality"

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001. Rain  
Touji watched the rain outside the hospital window, Asuka's nose pressed to the corner of his jaw below his ear, and hoped the young woman would be able to one day see it as something other than a reminder of Arael.

002. Mirror  
She hated her reflection and wondered for the umpteenth time why she'd not rid herself of the full-body mirror, but when she felt Touji slip his hands around her waist and the man began to grace each pock-mark and scar with reverent attention, she decided once more to let go of her imperfections.

003. Sanctuary  
At one time it was nearly anathema to them, depending on someone else, but after the trials they'd faced they realized needing a shelter in the storm was about wisdom and not weakness.

004. Imagination  
It used to torment her, the day-dreams of happier times, because she knew she couldn't have them and what use was wanting something that could never be yours?

005. Spirit  
"She's so lively," Touji said to her, eyes focused on the four-year-old dashing about the backyard, and Asuka looked up from the two-year-old in her arms to watch alongside him, "She's got your spirit."

006. Resign  
There was no trepidation in twenty-two year old Asuka's step, only confidence, as she walked in her NERV uniform up to the edge of the tower just beside Misato's desk in Central Dogma, and squared her shoulders as Touji waited beside her, "Effective immediately, I'm resigning from Tactical Commander," she grinned at the hushed murmurs, a grin that turned to a smile as she continued, "I intend to spend my full time from now on at home, as Touji and I are expecting our first child."

007. Abnormal  
The glow in her eyes when she leapt across the field at Kaworu was a surprise, but not as unsettling as the aura that seemed to surround the two, and Touji wondered if the situation felt so off to him because of his own unusual behavior since finding Kaworu was actually the Angel Tabris, or if it was Asuka's uncharacteristic secretiveness up to this point.

008. Vision  
The change in his sight was perhaps one of the oddest things he'd encountered, aside from the various forms the Angels had taken when they attacked Tokyo-3, but was also the least stressful for him, though the way Asuka shied away from the sight of the patch over his missing eye was something he knew would be a trial they would both overcome in time.

009. Heaven  
"This is Heaven!" the little girl exclaimed, crystal-blue eyes aglow and joy lighting her cherubic features just as the sun made her coppery hair look like it was a waterfall of flame down her back, and she danced in circles around her parents as they leaned shoulder to shoulder against an old oak on the outskirts of Tokyo-3 and watched her with smiles so happy they were almost painful, and they silently agreed with their daughter, laughing with her as she grabbed her little brother's hands and made him dance with her.

010. Hell  
Alarms blaring in his ears, Touji commanded his EVA to its feet amongst the burning wreckage of the Geofront and prepared to take down Zeruel, even though he knew it was going to cost him he had made his choice a life ago when a certain redheaded Pilot had agreed to their first date, and again when she held their daughter in her arms for the first time, and he knew one thing for certain: he would walk through hell and back for his family.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed these, dear readers. I'll have four more sets of ten on the way.


	2. Underground Glare

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Between Rain And Instrumentality**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Underground Glare  
Prompt: set 10 / prompts 011-020  
Word Count: 650+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty words, fifty memories. Fifty moments between Asuka and Touji. Instrumentality showed every possible world, all real, each as valid and solid as the next.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: Part 2 of 5

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011. Underground  
The Geofront was an amazing place, during the day it was awash in golden light from the massive array of mirrors and lenses that were used to guide sunlight from the surface down into the subterranean dome, and with the City retracted below thick armor plating at night the ceiling of the Geofront looked like a glimmering constellation of man-made stars, and Asuka never got tired to watching it.

012. Soul  
"My AT-Field is the physical manifestation of the limits of my Soul, a shield and a hammer," Asuka coldly spoke to Ritsuko, the doctor and head of Technical Division-1 watching the younger woman as she stood between the bottle-blonde and a little girl that was the mirror of the redheaded young woman, "But my daughter is the result of the mixing of Touji's and my heart, and you will not poke and prod her like another of your curious experiments!"

013. Crystal  
Two pairs of crystal clear eyes, one set blue and the other indigo, watched each other intently, neither blinking nor turning aside until the blue exactly like her mother's sought out and found their elder counter-parts, "A baby bruvver?"

014. Sunrise  
Asuka never liked sunsets, to her they signified an end, life coming to a stop, and especially in winter they arrived far too soon for her taste, but sunrises were a beginning, the start of a new day, and as she sat waiting for Touji's now habitual 'good morning' message on her cell, she watched the rising sun peek over the distant mountains and enjoyed the gentle pressure of morning sunlight as it warmed her where she sat on her apartment's roof.

015. Disgust  
Asuka jerked back in her seat inside Unit-Two's entryplug, the sight of the MP-EVAs filling her with a mix of fear and revulsion and bringing up memories of her first fight against them, and she had never been more grateful for the presence of her fellow EVA Pilots.

016. Improvise  
It was a new sensation for the jock, having never been on an actual date when other girls he'd asked had giggled and turned him down, and he found himself completely out of his depth for what to do now that Asuka had agreed to go out with him, but his friend's calm advice to just make it up as he went along at least gave him a place to start.

017. Weakness  
At one time Asuka looked on caring for others as a weakness and looked down her nose at them, but after fighting alongside Touji in the Angel War and nearly losing him several times, she realized that it was only a weakness if she let it pull her under instead of push her forward.

018. Bent  
Touji blinked up at the suddenly far too close roof of the entryplug, vision coated red as the partially drained LCL lapped at his ankles, struggling to comprehend that the proximity was because the container was bent, and slowly slipped unconscious.

019. Analyze  
She could feel Rei's eyes on her back as she sat beside Touji during lunch, for a moment wondering what the other girl thought as she analyzed the world around her, and found herself hoping the Half-Angel girl was finding reasons to stop Gendo's plans for Third Impact.

020. Glare  
Touji liked to think he was immune to Asuka's glare, having been on the receiving end of it many times in both the last life and this, but the look she was giving him this time had him feeling that he wasn't nearly as resistant to fear as he thought he was.

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A/N: Nothing here, move along. lol


	3. Speed Forward, Contain Me

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Between Rain And Instrumentality**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Speed Forward, Contain Me  
Prompt: set 10 / prompts 021-030  
Word Count: 600+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty words, fifty memories. Fifty moments between Asuka and Touji. Instrumentality showed every possible world, all real, each as valid and solid as the next.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: Part 3 of 5

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021. Speed  
They raced across the park, chasing their two children in circles around trees and the occasional set of playground equipment as laughter rang out in the open air, working together to finally trap the little girl and her younger brother, scooping up the breathless and giggling children, smiles on their faces as they set out for home.

022. Violence  
Violence, Asuka had told him one time during a contemplative silence after the battle with Zeruel, was a song that sang in her ears and made her blood rush through her veins, and that deep down the adrenaline rush it gave terrified her.

023. Everything  
"...All Is Right..." she murmured, reading the NERV motto, and the feel of Kyo dozing in her arms and Mana's hand tightly clutching her skirt as Touji held the little girl's other hand made her think that maybe, just maybe, everything really would be ok in the end.

024. Indifference  
The look of indifference on the bottle-blonde doctor's face as she made him the offer to Pilot infuriated him, especially considering what he knew from the last life, but it also made him pity her, no one deserved an indifferent attitude aimed at them by the one they loved.

025. Roam  
The size of the EVAs meant their cages were equally massive, and that made them the perfect place to wander while he collected his thoughts, trying to decide exactly what he was going to do for his date with Asuka that Friday evening.

026. Psychosis  
Trapped inside a virtual world designed to kill their real bodies when their avatar died, Touji wondered how anyone managed to stay sane, and knew that for himself the sole reason he hadn't lost his mind was the driving fire of his constant companion.

027. Dark  
Touji knew the dark had always bothered Asuka, though the why of it continued to escape him, so when the power went out one night during a storm he got up and crossed the hall, knocking once before entering to find Asuka wrapped in a ball of blankets on her bed and watching him move to her side with wide eyes.

028. Twisted  
Touji snarled, slamming the controls forward and launching his EVA at the Mass-Produced series Evangelion that was poised to run its sword through Asuka's Unit-Two, crashing into it and knocking it away, then reaching out a hand to help Asuka to her feet, her expression matching his with a twisted grin as they set out to shred the remaining MP-EVAs.

029. Attic  
Asuka slowly sorted through the boxes in their attic, looking over the various items they'd collected together over the last fifty years with a constant smile on her lips even though the occasional tear slipped down her face, and eventually she found an old photo from when they had been children standing side by side and grinning in victory at the camera, and carried it back down stairs.

030. Contain  
Watching, through fragments of Instrumentality, as all the possible lives where she lost Touji filed passed her mind, she found her façade of arrogance and power was far too weak for the task of containing her tears as she watched him die over and over, and when she finally found him before Instrumentality collapsed she held him for all she was worth.

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A/N: Psychosis was a PAIN. lol And then I thought of Laughing Coffin from SAO and decided a crossover was in order. Twisted and Contain also proved a stumbling block, but I knew what I wanted for "029. Attic" from the start.


	4. Monster Online

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Between Rain And Instrumentality**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Monster Online  
Prompt: set 10 / Prompts 031-040  
Word Count: 900+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty words, fifty memories. Fifty moments between Asuka and Touji. Instrumentality showed every possible world, all real, each as valid and solid as the next.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: part 4 of 5. Almost there Dear Readers!

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031. Monster  
"Don't worry, Mana," Touji leaned down to hug his and Asuka's four-year-old daughter, "There aren't any monsters in the closet," the relief and trust in her sea-blue eyes, shining passed the tears from her nightmare, filled him with happiness almost to bursting, especially after all his fears of failure and being the monster instead.

032. Return  
Touji ran the fingers of his left hand slowly over the desk the Commander once sat behind, turning to look out over Central Dogma in the dim standby lighting, tightening his grip on the cain that was more affectation than required implement as he turned and made his way to the lifts back to the surface, at once saddened and glad that NERV would be closed and locked, sealing a mix of memories both good and bad, along with the twisted _things_ trapped in its bowels after decades of ignoring Terminal Dogma and the EVA graveyard, knowing this would be the last time he returned.

033. Without  
Asuka continued to hold Touji's gradually cooling hand across the space between their beds and smiling at the calm expression locked on his relaxed face, feeling in her bones that she wasn't far behind him, a good thing in her mind when she thought of all the times he'd been stumped or lost without her, and took as deep a breath as she could before whispering, "Just wait up, you stooge, I'll be along soon."

034. Unnatural  
The surge of Fire in her gut and Ice in her veins brought with it a wave of power into her body, brushing aside her fears and insecurities as her AT-Field manifested in a wall of shimmering light before her, a corner of her mind registering the unnatural rush it gave her that was much like what she felt when she would pilot her EVA into battle, and she leapt off the catwalk in pursuit of Unit-Three and Tabris.

035. Doctor  
"Doctor Suzuhara," Asuka turned at the voice, her youngest sleeping in her arms as she paused in her trip down the corridor from the nursery to the lifts, arching an eyebrow as one of bridge technicians caught up to her, "We just received a hyper-comm ping from a 'Hikari Aida', asking for you to be told they just jumped back in-system and that you'd know where to meet." the redhead smiled and gave a nod, turning to continue to the lifts, calling over her shoulder, "Thank you."

036. Spin  
"Again, again!" Kyo cried, laughter filling the two-year-old's voice as Touji picked him up from the counter and spun in a circle once more, the little boy held above his head while Asuka and a snickering Mana watched from the side.

037. Beam  
Asuka was beaming as she walked down the impromptu aisle of the dojo, the mix of Eastern setting and Western ritual representing her and Touji's childhood homes, and was almost matched by the motherly pride on Misato's face and Touji's own smile, tears unabashedly flowing down both their faces as Asuka reached him and gave a nod to Kozo to begin the ceremony.

038. Honesty  
Being honest about their feelings was not something either did well, or at all, and was a challenge they overcame through trials and near misses during the Angel War, and something they continued to build on as they married and had children.

039. Slash  
Asuka's reaction to catching a glimpse of a tabloid with a picture of the four of them holding hands at sunset and reporting Touji and Kaworu as being in a relationship was, for Touji who was accustomed to her over-reacting, rather calm; the German redhead waited until she reached home before pitching one of the least violent but loudest insult-ridden fits he had ever seen, and left them both on the floor laughing almost uncontrollably at the things people would write for a little attention.

040. Online  
Asuka leapt at the member of Laughing Coffin, knocking them back from what would have been a killing blow to Touji and triggering a sword skill that ended with the player skewered on her broadsword before they burst into shining particles, another sight that would be a part of her nightmares, both here online and in the real world once they returned after Kirito and Asuna won the game.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed these, dear readers. I started laughing when I got to 039. Slash, as unfortunately the first thought in my mind was the fic meaning for slash. If you like slash, I'm sorry if I insulted you, but I think Asuka's reaction would either be to pitch a fit, laugh, or snort derisively depending on who it was about.

And another SAO crossover! A bit obvious, to me, considering the prompt. lol The four in the picture are, from left to right: Asuka, Touji, Kaworu, and Hikari.

Prompt 035. Doctor ties in with my Hikari/Kensuke challenge, specifically prompt 032. Calling


	5. Misunderstood Instrumentality

**Neon Genesis Evangelion**  
**Fifty Moments Between Rain And Instrumentality**  
**By BrokenChosenofEva**

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Title: Misunderstood Instrumentality  
Prompt: set 10 / Prompts 041-050  
Word Count: 1k+  
Rating: T  
Summary: Fifty words, fifty memories. Fifty moments between Asuka and Touji. Instrumentality showed every possible world, all real, each as valid and solid as the next.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion

Notes: I can't believe I've written so many, and managed to complete this challenge. I loved writing this and it's companion work that focused on Hikari and Kensuke.

Part 5, finale of the Fifty Sentence Asuka and Touji Challenge!

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041. Misunderstood  
"I'm sorry," Asuka sobbed quietly, Touji standing not far behind her with a confused, and furious, Misato down in Terminal Dogma, "You didn't have to reach It, I would've helped you fight the Pull," Misato spun on her heel, obviously having heard enough whimpering over a dead Angel, leaving a disappointed Touji to comfort his hurting wife, the young man stepping over and gently laying a hand on her shoulder.

042. Prevail  
Slaying the last MP-EVA, Touji turned to see the other three EVAs approach him as he brought his own EVA upright, opening a channel to them and Central Dogma, "Tuh quote Ken-man, "'today we prevail over our enemies, standin' as duh victors in our shinin' chariots'", or somethin' like that," earning a groan from Asuka and a chuckle from Shinji, while Rei simply looked on with her usual mask of indifference, though a hint of confusion tugged at her eyebrows.

043. Inconceivable  
As he watched his two friends laugh and joke, sitting at an open air café with a couple drinks between them, Touji couldn't believe his eyes, Kensuke -the quintessential geek- looking for all the world like he was on a date with Hikari -prim and proper, the 'by the book' boss of their trio-, and turning to Asuka beside him was chagrined to find the redhead grinning at him, "Inconceivable!" they both called out, earning a startled looked from the other two as they burst out laughing.

044. Endanger  
Touji took a deep breath of the LCL, mentally preparing himself for what he knew would happen once the Activation Test began, intentionally endangering himself for the simple reason of wanting to be able to fight beside Asuka and the others just like he had in their last life, understanding that this time may not turn out any better than the first time.

045. Stare  
Watching Mana squirm in her seat, the eight-year-old attempting to look anywhere but at her parents and the broken dishes on the kitchen floor, Touji had to constantly fight a grin; the plates were old, and in his opinion rather ugly, but Asuka had liked them because they'd been a wedding gift from Hikari, so he stood beside her and stared down their daughter while she fidgeted and tapped her fingers together.

046. Supernatural  
Seeing their two children walking ahead of Kaworu, Asuka and Touji couldn't believe their eyes, and when they felt Kaworu reach out with his AT-Field and find them they wondered what supernatural event had sent the two most precious things in their lives back in time to the Angel instead of them directly, but left that thought behind when the albino Angel pointed to them and spoke to the children, who then bolted towards their parents crying out.

047. Deep  
Staring into their newborn's shining blue eyes was like the night the Pilots waited on the hillside, the sky above so deep and filled with sparkling stars Asuka had secretly thought she'd fall into them and never come home, and she felt tears fill her eyes in joy at being able to hold a piece of heaven in her arms.

048. Sarcastic  
"I know you don't really like him, Asuka, but Ken is my friend and Touji's, so no sarcastic comments," Hikari admonished, the brunette leading her redheaded friend up to the door of Kensuke's house, "I can't believe you and Touji-kun convinced me to actually go to his cosplay Halloween party, but I'll try to limit the sniping at his hobby," she replied, earning a glare from her friend as she knocked, the two girls straightening their chosen costumes before they heard a voice call to come in.

049. Limit  
Asuka loved running, the feeling of air rushing by her and through her long, copper-red hair was exhilarating, the burning in her lungs and legs proof that she was pushing herself to her limits as she flew by the other runners on the school track, grinning as she pushed herself faster with her face upturned to the bright sky.

050. Writer's Choice [Instrumentality]  
Touji stood in the orange tinted realm, the Earth far below them, Asuka beside him with a faint smile on her face as she took one of his hands in her own, "The lure of Instrumentality is the perception of perfection, the illusion that everything is exactly what you want," he turned to face her, speaking softly, "Like perfect homes, duh perfect job, or a perfect relationship?" she smiled at him, reaching up to gently hold his cheek with her free hand, "You know what broke us out of the illusion before the others? It's that we know it's more than just dates, and holding hands, or kissing. It's accepting each other's weirdness and flaws. It's being yourself, and finding happiness together. It's seeing an imperfect person, perfectly." Touji smiled back, pulling her into a hug, "It's realizin' that each person can achieve their own, personal, Instrumentality."

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A/N: 048. Sarcastic was a bit of a challenge, but I hope it turned out good. I leave the costumes they wore up to your imagination. lol

Hope you enjoyed all of these, dear readers, I enjoyed writing them. Go read my other Fifty Sentence Challenge, "Fifty Moments Between Mistakes and Eternity", following Hikari and Kensuke, and let me know what you think.

This was a personal challenge at first, and something I'd dreamed of writing after reading similar works and once I'd found my favorite couple in NGE.

To those who have read these snippets, both Asuka/Touji and Hikari/Kensuke, you might recall 006. Immortal from the Hikari/Kensuke set. That snippet is foreshadowing events in "Not What You Bargained For", if you figure it out send a PM. Don't leave a review saying what you think, if you get it right I don't want you spoiling things for everyone else. lol


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